mike48128 A long time ago, answering services were used before technology improved. Ella Peterson (Judy Holliday) runs such a service and takes care of many clients. She gets involved in their personal lives although she has never met them. Only 2 really notable songs in this movie musical: "Just in Time" and "The Party's Over". "It's a Perfect Relationship" and "I'm Going Back" are clever, but many songs are totally forgettable. Most notable as the "Tour De Force" of the persona and style of Judy Holliday, who tragically died of throat cancer just five years later, in 1965 at age 43. (She was a chain smoker.) A clever and unique "book" involving dumb cops, bookies, stereotypical gangsters, and many personalities. Jean Stapleton and Frank Gorshin in a rather large cast. Dean Martin plays the musical author with writer's block and Judy Holliday plays his "Muse". They work well together. I also love the tacky bar showgirls bumping and grinding to "The Midas Touch" song which is truly terrible. Based on the often-used concept that one single life can affect many people in a very positive way. The last Arthur Freed-Vincente Minnelli production.

TallPineTree For all the musicals I have watched in my life I didn't think there were many left to watch, or at least good ones to watch. I wouldn't say this was a great movie, but it is charming in an old dated way.While the basic premise of the movie (one person helps other people unbeknownst to them) is timeless, the gimmick, a telephone answer service operator, is ancient. 1960 may be before answering machines were in use, but seeing Judy Holliday plug and unplug cables into a switchboard to answer phone calls seems so 1930s or 1940s. I guess we won't be seeing this movie remade by Hollywood.I enjoyed the opening montage of why an phone answering service is needed. It was colorful, glamorous, brisk, and I enjoyed seeing the standard phone from that era in all the colors to match the various scenes. I still have a phone like that somewhere.In one of his first movies without Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin looks uncertain - not that his character has much of a story. Judy Holliday is what makes this movie watchable. Her energy and comic talent and voices are a reason to watch the movie. Instead of acting in movies, I think she could have done well on TV and rivaled Lucille Ball.At 2 hrs and 7 minutes this movie runs on too long. I, and I think most people, have less of a tolerance these days for musical numbers that stop the flow of a movie. Musical numbers must be outstanding to be worthwhile. A few songs in this movie had a familiar ring to them and were OK, but this movie certainly has some songs that should have been cut.The story obviously came from a stage play and is constricted because of it. While there isn't a whole lot to this "girl meets/helps boy" story, more could have been done with Judy & Dean's interaction. The time spent at the switchboard should have been shortened. The bookie subplot should have been shortened or eliminated.The women's gowns are colorful and glamorous, and I found the scene cute where Judy slowly takes off items from her dress in order to make it fit in with the style of dresses the other women are wearing at the party. I thought Judy's dress "before" and "after" both looked nice.The scene where the men figure out 'the woman they know is the same woman' actually was interesting. What could have been a quick dull plot point to move the story along was jazzed up by women at the club swirling around the men as the men sang, and the men oblivious to the sexy women as they danced and drew on the men's faces.So, an enjoyable movie when one is in the mood for a 50s/60s style of musical comedy. Watch the movie for Judy, the gowns, and that 1950s innocence. Oh yeah, and Frank Gorshin's Marlan Brando impersonation.

Charles Herold (cherold) I had high hopes for this when I saw it on TV, a Comden/Green musical directed by Minnelli and staring Judy Holliday, but I found this disappointing. It begins great, and can be very funny, but even by the standards of 50s musicals the story is too contrived, and the thing with the detectives is just so utterly dumb (it would not have been that difficult to come up with something a bit more convincing). The songs are generally mediocre, although it does have The Party's Over (unfortunately, Judy is great for comic songs but fails to really bring home this serious one). There are some really good moments throughout, and Judy gives a terrific performance, but overall I found this dumb and a little dull.

krem9601 I was wondering why the end scene has Judy in a blue dress that is not at all a good shade for her. she should be in some color more her shade. the rest of her wardrobe is Hollywood style why not her last performance.